JP Pietersen

RWC winning back JP Pietersen will replace injured scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar for home Rugby Championship Tests against Australia and New Zealand, it was announced on Sunday.

Pietersen, who can operate on the right wing or at outside centre, has been playing in Japan and was unavailable for the first four southern hemisphere championship matches.

“JP has always been part of our plans and did very well in June playing at outside centre,” Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said in a statement.

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“We already have two scrumhalves in Francois Hougaard and Cobus Reinach and decided it would be better to bring in an outside back.”

Pienaar retired hurt during a 14-10 defeat by New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday and a scan on Monday will determine the extent of his knee ligament injury.

Pietersen, who played on the right wing when South Africa defeated England 15-6 to win the 2007 World Cup, joins a 30-man squad in Cape Town on Sunday next week.

The Springboks face the Wallabies at Newlands in Cape Town on 27 September and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 4 October.

Defending champions New Zealand top the table with 16 points, South Africa and Australia have 10 each and Argentina three.